Fall and Winter

 It is always an interesting phenomenon to me that Utah weather can bring changes within hours and over night.  One day it can be in the upper 60's and the next morning you wake up to this.

But, I have to admit, that is what I love about Utah.  Our changing seasons are so beautiful and fun to experience.  I love looking out our East windows and seeing the changes in our gorgeous and ever so stately Wasatch Mountains and especially Mt. Olympus. 

Summer's hottest days are over and the nights are getting much colder.  I had to give in and not only turn the heat on but get out the quilts for the bed.  I pulled this quilt out and thought about the hours that were spent by Lynda Ann putting this together.  

I also spent the day changing out the closets and bringing out, not only the quilts but the sweaters and coats.  I kind of feel a note of lingering sadness as I watch the leaves turn and fall from the trees and the house becomes slowly decorated with the coming holidays.  My walks in the morning are certainly colder and require more clothing.  I love the changing seasons but will always be looking toward Spring and Summer during the winter months.
 

A Morning Fall Walk

 This morning my usual walking partner couldn't go with me so Neal said he wanted to go.  We headed out about 9:00 and talk about a beautiful morning and a fun walk.  We went along 13th East and turned into Wheeler Farm property.  Wheeler Farm takes up property from 9th East to 13th East.  It was fun to see all the Halloween decorations up, the hay maze and all the animals enjoying this gorgeous weather.  

This picture reminded me of my years at Provo High School and BYU.  We didn't have a car so I walked to and from school each day.  The Fall was the best because of all the leaves on the ground that crunched and swirled as you walked through them.  That is exactly what I did while we were walking all along 13th.

This is a picture of Wheeler Farm decorations.  All the pumpkins hung above the entrance.

This was the turkey's and the peacocks on top the barn roof.  Thought it was kind of funny to see them roosting up there.

And, of course, Neal ran into someone that he knew from high school.  Seriously we rarely go anywhere that he doesn't find someone he knows.  

Close up of the birds on top the barn.  

I love walking through Wheeler Farm.  I believe that every child who has not spent some time on a farm, either visiting or living there, has missed a great deal in life.  No vacation that I ever had thrilled me quite as much as my trips to Midway each summer when I was a little girl.  

Back of Lila Mae's house was the farm with the old wooden barn.  I can remember bringing in the cows, talking to them and while they were being milked climbing into the hay loft to sink down on the hay and chew on a piece of hay.  I always loved watching the milking from the loft.

Lila Mae always had a delicious dinner waiting after the evening milking was done.  The smell of Home made bread always greeted us at dinner time.  We would often sit on the front porch.  I would listen to the adults talking while I dreamed mostly of what tomorrow would bring.

The leaves are falling one by one,

The summer days are passed and gone

The pumpkins now are big and round

Have turned to yellow on the ground

Happy Fall everyone! 

Inventive IV's

 Since Lynda Ann has been home from the hospital, it has been impossible for her to get enough liquids down to stay hydrated.  She can only sip very tiny amounts at a time and usually after a couple sips the water makes her choke.  Thus, IV's are needed for a while to keep her body hydrated properly.  Because of insurance issues and other complications it was looking like she might have to travel in to Salt Lake three times a week.  But, being the creative person that Annie is and knowing just who to contact to help her solve the problem, this is what they came up with!

As you can see, they hooked the fluid bag to the fan light and ran the tubbing down to the IV feed.  It worked perfectly and Annie is able to stay at home!  No insurance issues, no doctors offices and no traveling in to Salt Lake!

Very clever solution!  And it sure beats sitting in a doctors office for four hours!!!

New Adventures

 Maren has wanted to be on the Life Flight team for a long time and was told there was an opening.  So she interview and was hired.  This happened a couple months ago but she asked me to wait for a little bit before journaling her new assignment.  She has already been out on a flight and is loving her new adventures as a nurse on a helicopter.  So proud of what she has achieved in the nursing field.  She is amazing. 

Getting Needed Water

 I took Annie to the clinic in Stansbury to have her doctor take out a couple stitches so she didn't need to come clear in to Salt Lake.  While we were there she and the doctor decided that she needed an IV to get some water in her.  Annie knew she wasn't getting enough liquids and so did the doctor.  So they ordered an IV for her and I don't know how long it took the nurse to finally find a vein that she could use.  Annie was so dehydrated that the veins were just not popping up.  My guess would be at least 45 minutes or longer.  They even called the doctor back in and another nurse for help.  They were finally successful and then it took another almost 3 hours to get all the fluid in her.  The drip was very, very slow and would stop and have to be adjusted but we finally got every last drop in her.  I'm taking her back today for another IV.  Let's hope it goes a bit faster. She was exhausted by the time we got home.

I had to take a picture of the stitch the nurse pulled out.  The nurse said it was the biggest stitch she had ever seen.  It took her a little bit of effort to get it out.  This stitch was from the drain in her neck.  And, no, I did not watch the procedure.  Totally turned in another direction.

So exhausted.

Tending Brinkley

 While Mallory went to California with Abby to help her get set up, I got to tend Brinkley.  He is such a good dog.  So well trained and easy to tend.  He doesn't require much.  Just a pat on the head now and then, playing with him with his toys and taking him out a couple times a day and his favorite part - breakfast and dinner.  He follows me all around the house.  Never lets me out of his sight.  This morning I was changing the China Hutch for Thanksgiving and I made numbers of trips downstairs and back up again carrying the dishes.  Brinkley was right behind me every time.  Even when I'm blogging he is right by my side and if he wants attention he runs downstairs and gets a toy and brings it up for me to play with him.  Today we are picking up Mallory at 2 p.m. and I'm sure Brinkley will be very happy to have his mommy back.

This is Brinkley in our bedroom looking out the window at the ducks on the roof next door.

Taking Brinkley for walks every day.

Thanksgiving dishes now displayed in the china hutch.  Its a lot of work to change for the season when Thanksgiving and Christmas come back to back.  I just get one set in and turn around and have to change it for the next and then put both of them away until next year.  But,  I love the look and I love doing it.

Brinkley check out the patio  while I'm arranging the dishes, but never letting me out of his sight.

Cute puppy!

This is a picture of Brinkley wanting some attention.  He has gone downstairs and brought up each toy and even brought up his blanket!  Smart dog.  He knows how to get you to pay attention to him when he wants it.

This is me and Brinkley riding in the car.  He fits perfectly in the back of my little Subaru.  

Miracles

 So, after a bit of a long wait on Abby's car we got the word that her car was not going to make a California drive, in fact, Quan said he wouldn't drive it out of Utah.  It just wasn't worth fixing all the problems it had and it needed new tires.  So Abby, Annie and Jeff were going to have to make some quick decision on what to do for Abby.  Abby found a great job in LA and an apartment.  All she needed to do now was get there.  Her job started Monday morning (which is today).  All of this happened this last Tuesday.  So in other words, they had basically one day to figure out a car for Abby.  The three of us drove to Quans to get Abby's car.  Now this is where the miracle comes in.  Sitting right by Abby's car was a little Honda Civic with a for sale sign in the window.  We all know that Quan does not deal in selling cars so we were all surprised to see it there.  Annie went in to investigate and found out that the guy who owned the car didn't want it anymore.  Some one had hit the drivers side door and the buy didn't want to bother getting it fixed.  Quan knew it was a good car so they took it and replaced the door, fixed everything that needed fixing and told Annie that it also had 4 new tires.  He said they were selling it for $4,000.  They bought it!  Mallory and Abby drove it to California on Thursday and it worked like a charm.  Gets great mileage and is in great condition.  The girls arrived there safely Thursday evening and stayed at Lys's (a childhood friend of Lyndas).  I stayed for a few minutes at Quans and then noticed that the wheel ornament on my car was gone.  So I drove to Subaru and bought a new one at the tune of $100.00 for a piece of plastic!!  Had them put it on and I was off.  

Saying goodbye to my sweet granddaughter was hard.  She was just barely home from her mission and now will be gone again.  She loves the Latino people and loves their language.  She is very excited to be back in her mission area.  We will have to wait until the December holidays to see her.  :-(

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When we got home from the hospital we had so much stuff in our arms that we couldn't manage the flowers as well so we just put them on top of the car until we left!  Yes, we remember to take them off!

Abby's new little car.  

Released From the Hospital

 Annie was released from the hospital on Tuesday.  She has no voice and still can't drink water.  She can eat anything but can't down liquids.  She has to drink thicken apple juice.  But, the doctors are confident that the voice will come back and the ability to drink liquids will also slowly correct itself.  That morning I had picked up Abby from Quans.  She was getting her little car ready for her trip to California.  We went straight from Quans to the hospital and picked up Annie.  When Annie was released, Abby's car wasn't quite done so we stopped at Iceberg on the way to my house and got hamburgers and malts.  We came home, ate and then sat around the front room and visited until Abby got the not so good news on her car.  I'll tell you about that later.  Her are some pictures of the two of us talking, laughing and lounging.

Nice to have Annie released and feeling a little better each day.  

Sunday Thoughts - I have kept the faith.

 Oh how I miss Lila Mae.  I'm so thankful for her example of perseverance and courage during her personal trials and hardships during the last few months of her life.  She always tried to be positive, even toward the very end.  I've decided that it may be just as hard for the person leaving us to say goodbye as it is for us to let them go.

"I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course.  I have kept the faith."

Love you dear sister.

Surgery for Lynda

 This has been a long week for Lynda Ann as well as her family and her mom.  She went into the hospital on Tuesday, October 4th and was in surgery for 7 1/2 hours.  After surgery she was taken to the intensive care unit.  The doctor said that they were able to removed a bone spur that has been the apparent cause of the spinal leak.  The were able to take care of the bone spur, fuse the area of the leak, patch the leak and then because the tissue was so weak they put a metal patch over the whole area.  We are so grateful for medical staff who can do this kind of surgery and hopefully relieve Annie of the horrible headaches she has suffered with for the past 3 years.  

It is now Monday, October 10th and the lumbar drain has been removed and the hole stitched up.  Annie can only whisper at this point and has a hard time swallowing liquids.  She can handle solids pretty good but water and juices are really hard for her to swallow without chocking.  We are hoping that she will be able to come home tomorrow (the 11th) or Wednesday, the 12th. 

You can see the scar on her neck from the surgery and the drain.  She also has a lumbar drain from her back.  Pretty rough!

Pretending like she is feeling great.  They took the drain out of her neck.  Everything removed is one more step in the positive.  That's why the thumbs up.

The Intensive Care room.

All the liquids going in her.  

Trying to be positive.

I think she had four different needles in her arm.  

Her second time up and coming back from a walk down the hall.  She did great!

It has been a rough time for her but we pray that this will be the end of the headaches and then it will all be worth the surgery and recovery time.  

A new phone

 As things happen.  I dropped my phone a couple weeks ago and shattered the glass.  The only thing holding it in place was the protective shield that was over the top.  When Tucker came this past weekend we went shopping for a new phone and I, of course, got the newest one.  Of course I was worried about dropping it so the minute we got home I called Mallory and asked her to get me a new cover.  It came in the mail yesterday.  The nice thing is that it has a front that snaps on with the back so it is even more protected from slippery fingers like mine.  Thanks Mallory for quickly coming to my rescue and for picking out the perfect colors and flowers.  Love the colors!  PS I didn't mistake this for a butter dish!!!!!  Hahahaha

Sunday Thoughts

 I just finished listening to Conference and as always, loved all the talks.  18 new temples were announced which is always an exciting moment in conference.  They wait until the end of the last session to have President Nelson announce them.  The choir closed by singing, "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again."  That song brought me to tears as I thought about the age of Pres. Nelson and also about Lila Mae.  

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."  John 17:3

The Savior Jesus Christ is the focal point of all that we do in mortality.  He is the reason we are here.  He is the only means of our future salvation and exaltation.  He is the ultimate example in both word and deed.

I am so grateful that I have a living and loving Savior who is watching over me and who loves me very deeply.  I owe everything to Him.  He is my hope and my firm foundation.  He is my counselor and my guide.  He is my everything.

Project Coming Along

 My gnome Christmas project is coming along.  Can't believe it is already October and time to post my progress for the month.  Are these two little gnomes the cutest ever!  I have some fun projects lined up for the next months ahead.  Not going to show them now but there is one that Lynda Ann and Mallory may have a battle over.  

Maren and Greg's new purchase

 Saturday morning Tucker, Neal and I drove out to Sandy to watch Boston play baseball.  As we drove in the parking lot we heard a honk behind us and it was Maren in her new red truck.  She said her other car finally bit the dust.  Sounded like my Jeep.  Just plain gave out on the way to St. George.  Not fixable.  So she and Greg went car shopping and fell in love with this truck.  Apparently some girl had owned it for one year and  had turned it in that morning to buy the 2023 model.  Maren and Greg became the new owners of a beautiful new truck and a life time of car payments.  I say life time because this truck has everything imaginable on it.  The girl who owned it works at the dealership and ordered it new with every fan dangle possible.  

Notice Maren's smile.  She is also wearing full braces.  Top and bottom.  

After we checked out the new purchase we headed over to the game.  Boston was just coming around the corner with his team mates so I pulled him back for a quick picture.

Boston on the mound ready to throw the first pitch.

We were happy to have Tucker with us for three days.  He had been on a two week trip to see the Northern Lights in Canada.  He came back with hundreds of gorgeous pictures of Canada and of the Northern Lights.  What an amazing trip he had with his friend Rob.  He said they have other trips in the hopper for the future.  We put him on the plane on Saturday evening hoping to see him again soon.